Kolkata Church-school principal in the dock

Christian educationists see bias in a court sanctioning the trial of the principal of a Church school for allegedly abetting a studentâ€™s suicide.

The Kolkata sessions court yesterday rejected an appeal from the principal and three teachers of La Martiniere for Boys School against an earlier order for their trial. The Church of North India, a Protestant grouping, manages the school.

The principal and three teachersÂ were booked under several counts such as voluntarily causing hurt, punishing without grave provocation and negligence of duty.

The case arose after Rouvanjit Rawla, an eight grader of the 175-year-old school, committed suicide on Feb. 12, 2010. The principal had caned him four days earlier.

â€śWe cannot agree with the courtâ€™s ruling,â€ť says Jesuit Father Andre Bruylants, former principal of St. Xavierâ€™s Collegiate School in Kolkata.

According to him, a section of the press has â€śhighly exaggeratedâ€ť the matter. â€śThere is not much truth in what has been reported.â€ť

The priest also said he has â€śinsideâ€ť information that the principal had given only â€śa mild strokeâ€ť to the student for indiscipline.

The police accused three teachers of being the principalâ€™s accomplice.

Father Bruylants pointed out that the studentâ€™s parents had separated after divorce. The publicity it received could have been a reason for the suicide, he added.

Sister Philomena Kundukulam, a school principal, holds the studentâ€™s family more responsible for â€śabetting suicideâ€ť than the school.

The fact that the boy lacked discipline showed that the family had not given him much emotional support, the Daughters of the Cross nun said.

She said educational institutions in the country would face serious repercussions if the court punishes the accused. Teachers may not know how to correct erring students, she added.